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At no time during our visit were we made to feel that we were ‘interfering foreigners'. By the end of our visit, it had become clear that the list of tasks is a long one. Collaboration with town councils, a higher educational profile in schools and the wider community, land, veterinary expertise, money for shelters, food, medication etc. are all needed. Gradual developments in these areas seem to us quite achievable with hard work and sympathy for animals in general. It is also far from being hugely expensive, compared with major local and national government projects, especially as the number of unwanted animals reduces through initiatives such as sterilisation and responsible ownership. This could all lead to well deserved political prestige as each region develops a more humane response to ill-treated or abandoned animals in its area.
Marco de Canaveses
The energy and brains behind this refuge in northern Portugal is Ana Isabel. She comes from a family of animal lovers and has helped local animals in her town since she found teaching work there some years ago. She is known locally as the dog lady! An official organisation was set up in September 06. [This is the equivalent of UK charity status.] Currently around 25 dogs are homed in abandoned commercial kennels on the edge of town. The organisation pays a small sum each day for someone to clean and feed the dogs. The dogs leave the kennel only for a few minutes each day during cleaning. They are only given exercise and company on Saturdays when a small group of willing volunteers from the local community visit with Isabel. There is no spare money to employ a part-time worker to exercise the dogs on a daily basis.
Ana Isabel has fostered good community links with the local vet and townspeople. For example, some now feed and water local strays - cats and dogs - which live on the streets. It is not uncommon to keep animals in this way in Portugal. Education is seen as crucial to improve welfare and awareness. All the animals are sterilised as money allows, their health is checked, they are routinely wormed, microchipped etc. Money is raised by membership, attending fairs similar to our craft fairs and fetes, with small things to sell, and raffles. Re-homing is the ideal but very difficult to achieve. There is a great reliance on Ana Isabel and her few volunteers. Practical help, money and ideas are always needed. In spite of this, she and her helpers do a great job !
Lourinhã
We met a volunteer called Caterina who showed us around. This canine refuge, some distance north of Lisbon, has official status and began about 10 years ago with a permanent loan of land from the town council. They gave the refuge a disused rubbish dump! However, the site is reasonable inside, although the access road is difficult.
There are around 180 dogs all managed by five volunteers and an older couple - Senhor Ze and his wife Estelle - who go there every day and maintain overall responsibility. What devotion! They survive financially by the usual means - membership, sponsors, etc. Three times a year they visit supermarkets and obtain gifts such as cleaning materials and dog food. These donations are a lifeline. All dogs are sterilised, micro-chipped and have basic veterinary care. Some are chained as there are too few permanent kennels and outdoor exercise space is very limited, due to insufficient funds to erect fences and gates for expansion on the land. The refuge has drawn up professional plans illustrating how they wish to develop their infrastructure, and hope to be able to house cats in the future. They were helped a while ago by a German tourist who donated money to build more kennels and assist with the refuge's running costs.
Sintra
Situated just north of Lisbon, this refuge was founded in 1950 by an English woman. Sintra kennels now houses 200 dogs, although having room for a maximum of only 150. They are not able to take any more animals at present so all homeless dogs now go to the municipal police pound and after a week they are destroyed. As the photograph shows it is extremely overcrowded. We were shown around by Alexandro - one of the three paid employees who works there. All dogs are microchipped and receive basic care and daily attention. Because the location is near the village and the kennels has been established for a long time, we were told that a number of the dogs have sponsors who visit regularly to give ‘their dog' some individual attention - for example a bath, or a walk outside the kennels. There are adoption schemes and a fund-raising charity shop by the Sintra train station. The kennels is built on municipal land and since this has gradually become a prime development site the town council wishes to take back their land. We understand they are assisting the Sintra refuge to relocate where, it is hoped, they will then have the space they so badly need - although this is unlikely to be so accessible to visitors.
Sintra Region
A group of volunteer supporters assist in the running of NAAAS (see their website). This privately owned dog refuge came about due to the inheritance of a smallholding near Sintra a few years ago. It has recently been officially registered as a charity and houses around 100 dogs. It experiences the same difficulties such as insufficient infrastructure, not enough helpers and lack of money, as the other refuges. Nevertheless, there is compassion and commitment, so little by little there is progress . All the animals are provided with the basic necessities plus the usual range of healthcare and sterilizations as and when they can be afforded. A few dogs are re-homed but of course, not nearly enough of them.
Almada
This is a small place near the tourist area of Costa de Caparica, south of Lisbon across the River Tagus. We met Coralia and Galvao - a couple who go to the refuge every day. There are some weekend volunteers from all walks of life, including a retired German colonel. There is also one paid employee working every day for a few hours to help clean and feed all the dogs.
The land where the refuge stands is privately owned and was originally a smallholding with stables. Unfortunately, the owner of the land died, relatives have inherited it and now wish to have their land back. Even though the refuge has been in existence for 24 years, the town council has not been very sympathetic so far and there has been deadlock over the need to find a new site. However, due to the influx of a few new people to the council, there is a slightly better attitude. At present no one knows whether the refuge will need to be moved. The kennels therefore have no concrete bases, making the whole structure more mobile. Unfortunately, this situation makes life uncomfortable for everybody - dry and dusty in summer, hopelessly wet and muddy in the Portuguese winter.
This official organization provides a permanent home for over 200 dogs yet receives no official assistance. Volunteers keep it afloat by regular membership subs of 2 euros per month, ad hoc donations, and weekends at the Jumbo Supermarket in search of food donations.
There are four or five regular vets in attendance who are sympathetic and charge reduced prices for their services. As with the other refuges all animals are given basic routine care, veterinary oversight and sterilisation. Re-homing as usual is difficult due to the high number of animals requiring adoption.
Moita
In our opinion this is currently the most 'needy' of the refuges we visited on this trip. We understand that no help is received from the town council and the refuge is required to pay a monthly rent to the Council for the land. Their site is very hot, small and windy in summer months as it lies on low-lying muddy ground across the river from Lisbon. It is not easy to find and the access road is very poor, compounding their difficulties. They have no piped water so they must store it in tanks. They have no storage facilities for food, bedding, medicine etc. or exercise area for the dogs. Hence, few ever leave their kennel. See the photograph of the improvised storage in the two old caravans!
Our volunteer informant, Alda, works regularly at the Moita site. Apparently it began with a woman who collected dogs from the streets. They have been a registered association for 10 years now and house 150 dogs, plus 2 kennels full of cats and kittens. They also assist in feeding 350 street animals and manage to sterilise one cat per week from their funds. Ninety kilos of food per day is required. There are eight volunteers, who all live in Lisbon or Setubal - some distance away.
Their top priority, beyond survival, is to obtain enough funds to erect a suitable building for storage plus infirmary, plus 2 fenced exercise areas, so that all dogs can have a little freedom each day. Currently they have around 10 sponsors who visit at weekends to take a few dogs for a walk, give them a bath etc. They regularly link with supermarkets to obtain food donations and organize weekend volunteers to advertise their cause. One compassionate vet gives her services free if there are emergencies and the refuge cannot pay her. She also assists with medicines. It has taken the volunteers four years to construct what they have, so progress is painfully slow due to lack of funds and helpers. However they manage to give many animals a chance of life, caring for them humanely and with compassion. ( The local public kennels destroys abandoned dogs within 10 to 15 days.) If only the number of stray animals could be reduced by responsible ownership and regular sterilisation programmes!
The Algarve
Most people have heard of the Algarve due to foreign tourism, and thanks to the warmer and drier climate in the south of Portugal. Because it has been a popular area with the British, Dutch and German communities there is an established range of animal associations usually created and maintained by foreign tourists and residents. These cater for donkeys, cats, dogs, in fact just about anything. However, stray cats and dogs are the most visual and problematic in number.
We visited the Lagos Animal Protection Society which has been run by Bridget Hicks for many years and caters for all animals as need requires. Bridget has fought many battles for welfare improvements and one example resulted in the closure of a very poorly run municipal kennels, now much improved, in Lagos. Due to her age, Bridget has been obliged to reduce the amount of work and animals she helps.
Our last visit on this trip was spent meeting the new President of the NANDI charity and his wife; Ron and Pat. This charity was established in 1996. Its brief is to offer limited treatments, sterilisations, feeding, spaying, re-homing and generally look after all animals across the geographical area of the Algarve. It therefore has a lot of freedom to prioritise as needs arise and to support volunteers with new developments.
Ron and Pat do not work 'hands on' with the animals as they felt their expertise could best be used by running 2 charity shops. We are delighted to tell you that the two charity shops are a great success, used by both Portuguese and foreign customers. The money raised enables NANDI to fund many worthwhile activities. Some examples are: the issue of vouchers for a big sterilisation programme, working with local vets to agree standards across the area, sponsoring three animal charities and two organisations which work with the local council, feeding, spaying and generally looking after several large feral cat populations. Of course the Algarve as a popular tourist region, is rather different from the rest of Portugal but we do not see why its example could not be followed elsewhere.